Drivers of vehicles such as pick-up trucks often need to store articles such as tools or the like nearby in the cab of the vehicle. As such, the only convenient place is the rather confined area behind the seat of the vehicle. However, merely locating the tools or other items randomly behind the seat deters from the convenient retrieval thereof. Some vehicles have been provided with pouches affixed to the back of the seat to hold the articles. While at least adequately holding the articles, such pouches still do not provide an organized storing of the items and, in addition, the pouches are not susceptible to being removed from the vehicle and used as a carrying case.
As a result, carrying cases have been designed with a rather slim profile so that they can readily be positioned behind the seat of the vehicle and removed therefrom when it is desired to transport the contents of the case away from the vehicle. Most all of these cases are provided with a separate handle and separate latches, and some are optionally provided with a separate locking mechanism.
Recently an all-purpose storage container has been developed with a combined latch, handle, and lock area at each end thereof. Such is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,834. There, each of the latches are lockable and double as handles for transporting the container. While such a latch would be suitable for storage containers of a slimmer profile, since only one such latch would be logically employed, it might have a tendency to open when being used as the single handle on the unit, a problem which does not exist with the latching mechanism of the aforementioned patent where both latches are intended to be gripped to transport the container.
The slim profile carrying cases currently available do not readily provide the user with optional storage configurations; that is, they are usually provided with permanently located drawers, shelves and the like suitable for only specific usages or storage capabilities. Moreover, these products can only be used to store or carry articles and are not susceptible to be readily hung on a wall when not in use, nor are they susceptible to being employed as a tray to hold articles currently being used, such as when the vehicle owner is working on the engine of the vehicle.
Thus, the need exists for a storage container having a profile adapted to be stored behind the seat of a vehicle, such as a pick-up truck, which is versatile, and which advantageously combines the handle, latch and lock features within the slim profile.